Get to the Inside

“…First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”
Matthew 23:26 (NIV)

I have a history of chronic relapse. The first time I tried to quit drinking and using was when I was 18. And since that point, I must have tried to quit 12 to 15 times. And every time I tried to quit, I instantly would become obsessed with losing weight and eating healthy. One of those times my sponsor had suggested that I put my exterior on hold for the purposes of attacking full-force the disease that was killing me most, alcohol and drug addiction. What she said that day still resounds when I notice I am paying more attention to exterior matters than my spiritual welfare. She said that when I take care of my recovery (reading the word of God, taking my inventory and making amends) that everything else would fall into place. Essentially what she was saying was to take care of washing the inside of my cup. For me, my cup is my spirit and my soul (mind, will and emotions).
A few years ago, I set out to order all my pictures chronologically so that I could arrange them in albums by year. As I was going down memory lane I came across a picture of myself at my niece’s birthday party. I remembered that day as it was yesterday! I remembered that I had originally put on a long sleeve, fitted, pistachio-green shirt. I felt so fat in it!! So I changed. Then I changed again, until I came across the shirt in the picture. It was a sleeveless and very loose tank top. The funny thing is that, as I was sitting there looking at the picture, I found myself longing to weigh what I weighed back then. I remember saying to God, “Lord, what I would give to be at that weight now.” And yet, back then, that weight had not been good enough. What’s more…I actually weigh much more now than I did at my niece’s birthday party yet, I feel much thinner than ever! I truly had an epiphany that day! I realized that the way I see myself on the outside is directly related to my spiritual condition.
I notice that when I am actively in the Word, my exterior aligns itself with the truth of the word of God. I am a three part being; spirit, soul and then body. When my spirit and my soul are aligned with the Word of God, my body follows accordingly. My spirit and my soul tell my body how to react. The coolest thing of all this is that physical aesthetics isn’t the only thing that is affected. I also mean my attitude and my behavior, what I say and what I project. And since God is love (1 John 4:16 NIV), and I am recreated in His image, then that means that the more I am in the Word, the more I outwardly express patience, kindness, goodwill, selflessness, forgiveness, trust, hope and perseverance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV) to others as well as myself!!! I praise God for always completing the good work in me!